The Top Ten Tips to Treat Yourself Today and Every Day

There are many ways to improve your health naturally and safely at home – and elsewhere. If you follow these ten tips every day, they will soon become a habit.

Oil Pulling

Oil pulling means that you rinse your mouth out – ideally with coconut oil. This can have a very powerful cleansing and healing effect, detoxifying or cleansing the body.The process can also help with dental problems in the mouth.

This is a simple and inexpensive way to whiten teeth and freshen breath. It can also improve several health conditions (ranging from eczemato arthritis) through its effect on oral bacteria. Imagine the oil that lubricates and cleans vehicle engines for many miles before being changed and fresh oil put in. Oil pulling works the same way in our mouth, getting rid of dirt and grime.

First thing in the morning – on an empty stomach and before drinking any liquids – put 1 to 2 teaspoons of the oil in your mouth. Push, pull and swish the oil between your teeth and all around your mouth for 15 to 20 minutes, long enough to bind bacteria with the oil. Spit out the oil and rinse. You can then brush your teeth with a natural toothpaste and even a natural sea salt and water mouthwash. At the start, carry this out 3 times a day if possible for a full detox. Later, change to once a day for maintenance.

Vitamin D supplement and/or Sunlight Exposure

Unless you are a lifeguard on a California beach or you live on the equator, there is a strong possibility that you will be Vitamin D deficient. Today, we spend much of our lives indoors, under artificial light and when we do get out in the sunlight, we are encouraged to slather on the sunblock. Make the change to exposing as much skin as possible to the summer sunlight (without skin block) until the skin starts to turn a light pink (if you are light skinned). Darker skin tones can tolerate more sun. The darker your skin, the longer it takes to absorb vitamin D. Aging can also prevent absorption.

During the winter months, most of us need to supplement with a high-quality vitamin D3 and the dosage can be up to 5000 IUs daily. If you are unsure about how much you should take, get tested.

Coconut Oil

Often considered to be one of the healthiest oils in the world, the flesh of the coconut is very high in healthy fatty acids. While the composition of fat varies depending on the type and processing of the oil, medium-chain saturated fatty acids make up approximately 90% of coconut oil with a slight contribution of mono-unsaturated fatty acids and poly-unsaturated fatty acids.

Many natural health followers believe that adding coconut oil to your diet will help in preventing the onset of Alzheimer’s. Take two tablespoons daily with food. Start off with just a teaspoon of coconut oil and gradually build up, making sure you use organic virgin coconut oil.

Resistance Exercises

Resistance exercise is any form of exercise that forces your skeletal muscles to contract. For this form of strength training, you can use resistance bands or one of those chest expanders. You can put your foot on one end and pull upwards with your arm for several times and then change to the other foot and arm. A resistance band can be attached to a chair or a handy pillar. Any external resistance will lead to increases in muscular mass, strength, endurance, and tone. An invaluable way to improve your health.

Grounding – Going Barefoot Outdoors

There are numerous health benefits when you are grounded or connecting electrically with the Earth. But, unlike our ancient ancestors, we no longer have this grounding connection – unless we walk barefoot on grass, sand or even in a body of natural water. Grounding helps to combat inflammation by restoring circulation to fingers and toes, can be very beneficial for problem varicose veins, can thin the blood making it less viscous, and even helps to counteract jet lag. An hour of grounding after a long flight or car journey can eliminate those unwanted effects of long-distance travel.

A Weekly Epsom Salt Bath

Two cups of Epsom salt in a warm bath can be very beneficial, relaxing and therapeutic. The bath will help to detox; provide a further form of treatment for skin conditions such as eczema and acne; soothe inflammation, bruising, swelling and muscle strain; and top up magnesium levels where deficient.

Relax Your Back

Apart from an Epsom salt bath above, there is a very useful exercise for the relief of lower back pain. Lie flat on the floor facing upwards before lifting your legs straight up into the air and, bending at the knees, place your feet on the seat of a dining room/kitchen chair. Remain like this for at least twenty minutes. Relax as much as you can and even practice deep breathing at the same time.

A Daily 30-minute Walk

And a brisk one at that! We all need to get moving more and this is an ideal way to start and a very good habit to get into. Of course, an hour is even better, but I am not pushing it!

Hydrating

Are you drinking enough liquids and especially water? A jug or glass of water next to your bed at night helps to keep you hydrated and even aids sleep. During the day, keep a glass or reusable bottle of water at your workplace to remind you to keep drinking. Carry that same bottle with you when traveling or out and about. Water is not always as drinkable and as safe as you would hope or expect. Investing in a high quality home water filter is probably the most practical and affordable solution.

Standing in the Workplace

We don’t have to tell you that most people don’t stand enough, preferring to take the comfortable easy way out. And yet, spending too much time sitting is now considered to be as dangerous for your health as being a smoker, increasing the risk of diabetes, heart failure, invasive breast cancer, ovarian cancer, colon cancer, reducing blood flow, and even leading to deep vein thrombosis.

Think and plan on how you can become more of a stand-up person.

Taking that daily brisk walk above is one way while re-thinking your workplace set up is another. Change your workstation to a standing one; take all phone calls on your feet; pace up and down while you talk; and urge your work colleagues to try standing or walking meetings.

These tips are all ones that I try to follow regularly. Not always every day but I have the best intentions and I do benefit!

Jane Chitty writes for Healing Natural Oils - a producer and retailer of high-quality, all-natural treatments for a variety of conditions as well as their SIMPLY all-natural beauty products.After a childhood in Kenya, spending the next decade in the UK and living for many years in Cape Town, South Africa, Jane has now settled again in the UK but regularly visits the USA where she has close family.She is interested in writing about natural treatments and lifestyles – especially in the areas of health, green living and nutrition – in these very different countries.

Jane Chitty writes for Healing Natural Oils - a producer and retailer of high-quality, all-natural treatments for a variety of conditions as well as their SIMPLY all-natural beauty products.After a childhood in Kenya, spending the next decade in the UK and living for many years in Cape Town, South Africa, Jane has now settled again in the UK but regularly visits the USA where she has close family.She is interested in writing about natural treatments and lifestyles – especially in the areas of health, green living and nutrition – in these very different countries.